Coal is the most plentiful of fossil fuels1. It is a mineral formed from the remains of plants buried hundreds of millions of years ago and exposed to intense heat and pressure.1 Coal currently makes up about 11.3% of Connecticut’s energy consumption2. The fact that coal has stronger and more significant cons than pros supports Connecticut’s initiative to significantly decrease the use of non-renewable resources, such as coal, by year 2010.
Coal is less expensive than other methods of heating with energy3 because it is plentiful and can be found many places3.
In the United States, there is enough coal to last for another 300 years3. It burns clean with no odor or smoke, which would be helpful for people that need to use it that may have allergies or are sensitive to odor and smoke3.
Coal can be stored anywhere and never expires3. This is beneficial for people who would like to save up on coal and keep it on site of where they are going to use it, no matter the conditions of the area or the length of time in storage.
It also helps when coal is being shipped to places where the conditions may be different from where it is found3. The delivery does not have to be an immediate time sensitive one, like it might be in other cases of energy source/fossil fuel shipment3. When used in a boiler, coal can heat someone’s home in addition to their entire water supply, eliminating the call for for a hot.
The burning of coal and other fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, a harmful gas that contributes to global warming, the greenhouse effect, and the hole in Earth’s ozone layer. It might be possible to capture this carbon dioxide and store it underground. The process of storing carbon dioxide underground is called sequestration. Both the mining of coal and the use of coal for fuel are processes that have the potential for causing environmental damage. Using coal can be bad because in order to turn it into energy, it must be burned.
When coal is burned, it releases harmful pollutants into the air, adding to the greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere. When there are ways of getting renewable and environment safe energy, coal is unnecessary. Coal is not a renewable energy resource because it takes millions of years to form3. Coal dust can become a problem when inhaling it, which causes respiratory problems3. Excessive breathing of coal dust while in a mine can lead to a serious and often fatal disease called black lungs.
In conclusion, coal has more influential and effective cons than pros. People are debating over whether coal is safe to use or if it is a harmful energy source1. Connecticut’s initiative to significantly decrease the use of non-renewable resources, such as coal, by the year 2010 helped the consumption of coal decrease1. Coal has become cleaner and factories have been trying to do their part in helping to control the pollution and greenhouse gases released from the production of coal1.
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